Improved wrench



UNTTED STATES Trice.

f ATeNT A. Y. MCDONALD, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JOHNMORRISON, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVED WRENCH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,067, dated March 28,1865.

To aZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, A. Y. MCDONALD, of Dubuque, in the county of Dubuqueand State ot' Iowa., have invented a new and Improved Wrench; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,making a part of this specification, said drawing being a side view ofmy invention, partly in section- This invention relates to an improvedscrewwrench ofthat class in which an adjusting movement is allowed themovable orsliding ja-w independently of the screw which is employed forrmly clamping the nut between the jaws.

The object of the invention is to obtain a simple means n hereby thesliding` jaw may be liberated from the shank of the wrench withoutstraining the screw or affecting it in any way, as hereinafter setforth.

Arepresents the shank of the wrench, which may be of quadl ilateralform, and has a wooden handle, B,- on one end and a jaw, O, at theother. D is a sliding jaw, which is litted on the shank A, and isallowed to slide freely thereon, and E is a screw, which works in aninternal screw, a, made in the inner or under side of the sliding` jawD. This screw E has a thumbwheel, F, upon it, and at the inner orouterside of said wheel the shaft ot' the screw is of plain cylindricalform, as shown at b, and has a head, c, at its end. rlhis plain portionb of the screw-shaft passes through an elongated slot, d, in a bar, G,which is fitted on the shank A, the opening e, through which the shankpasses, being elongated so as to admit of a certain degree of play ofthe bar G in a transverse direction with the shank A. The bar G, has aprojection, f, which may be fitted in any ot' a series or' holes, g, inthe shank A, and this projection is retained 'in the holes by means of aspring, H, as will be fully understood by referring to the drawing.

The head c of the screw-shaft is greater in diameter than the width ofthe slot d, and this head c, in connection with the thumb-wheel F,secures the bar G to the screwshaft.

From the above description it will be seen that by shoving the bar G inthe direction indicated by arrow l the projection, f of said bar will befreed from the hole g in the shank in which it is fitted, and that saidbar, as well as the jaw D, may be shoved forward on the shank andbrought in contact With the nut. Thelatter being between the two jawsand the bar G, being then relieved from the pressure ofthe thumb of theoperator, the spring H will draw the projection finto a hole, g. Theoperator by then turning the thumb-wheel F, and consequently the screwE, may firmly clamp the nut between the two jaws O D. Thus the wrenchmay be quickly adjusted to its work, the comparatively slow movement ofthe screw to adjust the jaw I) being only used to cause said jaw to bindfirmly against the nut.

By having the shaft b of the screw tted in an oblong slot d in the bar Gthe latter may be moved or adjusted in a direction transversely with theshank A without affecting the screw E. If the shaft b were fitted snuglyin G, the latter when moved as above specified in order to free theprojection j' from the holes g, the screw would be strained and soonbecome injured. This is the difficulty attending wrenches of this class,and which my improvement fully obviates.

I do not clai1n,broadly, the screw E and bar D, for they have beenpreviously used in connection with the holes g in the shank; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I do claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

The elongated slot d in the bar G, in combination with the screw E,sliding jaw D, projection f on bar G, spring H, of spiral or other form,and the holes g in the shank A, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

A. Y. MOD ONALD.

Witnesses: JOHN M. BUonnoLz,

CHARLES MoTsoH.

